Ask Atlantans where United Parcel Service Inc. is based, and they'll likely say Atlanta. 

Ask city officials in Sandy Springs, and they'll be happy to set you straight.

The package delivery giant's headquarters is located within the Sandy Springs city limits on Glenlake Parkway outside the Interstate 285 perimeter loop.

Since Sandy Springs became a city in 2005, Eva Galambos, its first and current mayor, said the city has mounted a campaign asking individuals and companies, from restaurants and shops to Fortune 500 firms, to mark Sandy Springs instead of Atlanta on their business cards, letterhead and marketing materials.

But a glance at the websites and recent news releases of Sandy Springs-based giants Cox Enterprises Inc., Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and UPS reveal that all of them are using Atlanta's brand to communicate to the world beyond the metro area.

This exemplifies the challenge faced by suburban Atlanta communities that have traditionally benefited from Atlanta's northward sprawl but are now crafting their own global economic development strategies. In Sandy Springs, leaders say it's not a matter of drawing a base of international companies, but getting the credit for the ones they already have.

In addition to UPS, Newell and Cox, the area is home to food products marketer AJC International Inc., with annual revenues of $1 billion and 13 offices around the world, Church's Chicken, which has restaurants in 22 countries, and energy provider Mirant Corp.

Sandy Springs also has regional bases for international firms, including the North American headquarters of German automaker Porsche and the Southeast U.S. head office of BMW USA Corp.

George Bergmark, a partner with B2B CFO who chairs the international committee at the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, said most people don't realize that these corporate giants are based in Sandy Springs. Nor do they recognize the fact that 12 Atlanta consulates or honorary consulates have offices there.

"Really what we're trying to do is let people know we're already global," Mr. Bergmark told GlobalAtlanta.

The chamber, a three-year-old organization that evolved out of a local business council, wants to attract international companies and help its nearly 400 members do business overseas. In April, the chamber dubbed the Sandy Springs/Perimeter area "The Global Gateway."

Mr. Bergmark's committee has launched monthly networking events featuring local restaurants with international fare. Last month, chamber members connected with the Chinese community at P.F. Chang's. Before that, they sampled Fuego Mundo, whose Colombian owners serve up a variety of South American cuisines.

The chamber is also planning a series of quarterly seminars on doing business abroad and will host its first annual event, The Global Gateway Gala, on Nov. 18 at the UPS headquarters.

The efforts are about drawing attention to Sandy Springs' advantages for businesses, which include an affluent population, good schools and a convenient location.

"The great thing about the Sandy Springs/Perimeter area is that we are at the top of the key," at the intersection of Georgia Highway 400 and I-285, so traffic is less of an issue than in some communities, Mr. Bergmark said.

It's also a prime spot for corporate offices, said Dr. Galambos.

"Our office market is ideally suited for the sales offices of foreign companies. We do not have industrial land, but we do have some sites for distribution. We offer many sites for retail outlets of foreign firms," she said. "We can distinguish ourselves [from the City of Atlanta] thusly: lower taxes, less expensive parking for their customers, less crime, three MARTA stations, high buying power and a very diverse population that is open to foreign exchanges."

Dr. Galambos, who has a Ph.D. in economics, called international trade "a fundamental of economic growth" and said that global connections lead to higher trade volumes. Sandy Springs last year established a "friendship city" relationship with Taicang, a Chinese city near Shanghai.

Newell Rubbermaid, with headquarters just down Glenlake Parkway from UPS, applauds such efforts and is working to help Sandy Springs expand its international influence, said David Doolittle, a company spokesman.

"Anything that makes our region more diverse and more international, we're definitely in favor," he said.

As for their letterhead, Newell Rubbermaid – with 19,500 employees and sales in 90 countries – is sticking with Atlanta.

"Our employees are from all of metro Atlanta, so we're comfortable putting Atlanta down on our letterhead," Mr. Doolittle said. "And more than that, it's about making sure that our global customers know where we're located."

For more information on the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber or its Global Gateway Gala, visit http://www.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com/ or call (678) 443-2990.

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